Sunset over Darts Lake

Adirondack Winter Weekend
Camp Gorham, Eagle Bay, N.Y. - January 11-13, 2008

The drive up to Eagle Bay was a wet one - raining most of the way. It certainly did not appear very wintry for our annual trek to YMCA Camp Gorham in the Adirondack State Park. Temperatures were just above freezing and about a foot of snow remained on the ground. We would have to make do. However we did receive a very warm welcome from three or four local deer who came to our back porch looking for a handout. They were amazing tame, willing to walk right up to us. By dinner time most of the guests had arrived and settled into their rooms. Everyone brought their own supper and a pot of hot corn chowder was set out to warm us up.

Once again Melinda headed up the meal planning and did a fantastic job. She had everyone help with the purchasing and preparation of meals so there was plenty of good food - nobody went hungry. Saturday breakfast was Mel’s scrumptious Egg Casserole with broccoli, mushrooms, and cheese, accompanied by bacon, fruit, coffee, and juices. After eating, we got ready for our first outing of the weekend. The icy snow conditions negated any chance of skiing, but hiking was possible and we opted to use snowshoes with their crampons for traction.

Several cars formed a convoy and headed to the West Mountain trailhead to start our day’s adventure. We hiked east along the edge of Constable Creek, towards Constable Pond and Chubb Lake. Due to the unevenness of the trail, it took us longer than expected and some turned back early. The others continued on for a while, and in order to get back for lunch the decision was made to loop back through the wilderness and pick up the Hermitage Trail. But there was one small problem. After bushwhacking for a half hour we came upon a large, half frozen bog, with the only bridge mostly submerged in the frigid water. A search of the area showed no way across, so we had to backtrack, getting us to the cabin an hour late for lunch. However our loyal and thoughtful Hugger friends had saved plenty of hot food for us.

Saturday night dinner was a real feast. Melinda and crew outdid themselves. Her pulled pork dinner, along with Bob D.’s scalloped potatoes and a Jell-O pretzel salad provided a delicious meal. Dessert was "Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding". The evening was spent visiting and playing board games, with some retiring early due to the day’s vigorous activities.

On Sunday morning after a filling breakfast of pancakes and sausage with all the trimmings, another snowshoe hike embarked from the Windfall Trailhead just a short distance from our camp. We spent two hours hiking parallel to and across a fast moving stream of rushing water, climbing gradually uphill. The sun came out briefly casting long jagged shadows across the uneven terrain. But alas, all good times must come to an end and we had to return to start packing for the trip home. After a lunch of leftovers we cleaned the cabins and set off for home. Some stopped off in Old Forge to shop and look around. We had our memories though, as Ginny described - "Rushing waters in the wild creeks, creek hopping, deer and red squirrels, quiet and a peaceful feeling, lots of laughs". It was another wonderful weekend in the Adirondack backcountry.
- Dave K.